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Chapter 436 - Bandits

"Not yet." Liam got out of the [Stealth] mode and joined the party. "If we attack now, the entire city will slaughter us. So not yet."

The group of demons in the few carriages was something they could still handle but not the whole garrison.

Everyone laid low and finally, about an hour later, their chance arrived.

"Now!" Liam shouted. This was the best location to stop the carriages and attack the demons. They were in the middle of nowhere, and the closest city was still quite far away.

There was no way for the demons to call for reinforcements.

Liam, Derek, and Shin Soo made the first move as the trio jumped in front of the carriage and slashed down at the bull hounds.

They aimed for the legs which instantly made the carts wobble and crash against each other.

"Who is there?!"

"Bandits!"

"Beastmen?"

"ORAAA! These must be the same thugs who robbed you before! Kill those bastards!"

The demons started shouting and pouring out of the carriages one after the other.

A few of them were even high-leveled but thankfully most of them were around levels 40 to 50 so they were not too out of the league.

Otherwise, handling this group would have also been out of their hands.

Liam dashed forward and blocked the two demons as they charged at him with their hammers.

"This reinforcement is stronger than I expected. Mei Mei, take out the golems. Also, start casting. Time to show off your crown."

"Yes, brother." The little girl stood next to Luna as she started chanting one spell after another.

She started with the enemy debuff spell and then threw in the ally buffing spell and by the time, she was done, the strength of the bunch of demons was reduced by a whole ten levels.

The power of the legendary item clearly stood out!

"This is awesome!" Mei Mei tilted her head, wearing her crown proudly, and then took out the two golem balls and tossed them on the ground.

The next instant the two giant metal golems appeared.

The defense golem stood next to the casters while the attack golem started walking around and pummeling demons into thin crust pizza.

The other players in the party as well attacked the demons rapidly without giving them an inch to fight back.

With the buffs from Mei Mei's casting, they felt invigorated and each of their attacks struck heavy damage.

The demon that was under Shen Yue's charm was also doing significant damage.

The other demons did not understand why their ally had switched sides and were caught off guard. Shen Yue used this opportunity to quickly finish off the guys.

"As good as always I see." Liam chuckled. The others did not know, but while fighting Liam also silently observed everybody else's combat abilities and skills.

He wanted to see how they had all improved in the short time they were out grinding on their own.

Would there be some surprises? Maybe some players who showed talent beyond their potential?

Unfortunately, there weren't any. How could something like that be so easy?

Only Derek was shining as always. Shen Yue was now more fluent in using her daggers and she also shone but it was mostly due to her special class.

And of course, Mei Mei had the legendary item and she was going all out as well, but other than that, the rest of the players were above average at best.

Liam was not someone who believed that genius and talent was something people were born with. He believed in working hard for it.

He used the second chance he got and worked hard to come to where he was today. And for these people, he would have to be their second chance.

Perhaps if they faced some life and death situations, they could also bring out the hidden talent and potential within themselves, but was there any place like that?

The only place he could think of was the old ruins where he had obtained the black dragon sword. Maybe it was time to pay a visit to that old man again.

If he could somehow scam the guy into training some of his teammates, then their group would perform a lot better.

Liam put a pin on this thought and then he continued wrecking the demons in front of him.

With the whole group fighting together, the fight did not last long and the demons were quickly taken care of.

Luna only popped up now and she started running around and collecting the drops. Everyone grabbed a couple of sacks each and the group was out of there within minutes.

"Pfft. Brother, we again managed to get more herbs than we already had." Mei Mei giggled, but then she remembered something and her excitement died down a little.

"No more free exp…"

"What is the plan now, brother? Are we going to one of the dungeons I and sis found? I want to test out my spells in the dungeon."

Mei Mei adjusted her crown and opened the system interface to take a look at the map. "There is one near this place."

She looked up to Liam to see his expression when she got rewarded with another forehead flick. "BROTHER!" The little girl pouted rubbing her forehead.

Liam chuckled and shook his head. "Don't be in such a hurry. I am not done with this herb collection quest just yet."

"Huh? Are we going to do this again, boss?" Shin Soo scratched his head. Even he knew that it was a bad idea to do so.

"No, not that." Liam pointed his finger in the direction where the carriage was headed to. "You guys keep grinding. I think I need to check out that city more."

"I want to find out just where all these demons were transporting the herbs to."

"Boss, you can't be thinking about…" Shin Soo looked petrified and so was the rest of the group members.

Knowing Liam so far, they all understood him pretty well. So they understood what he meant as well.

While they were all happy, content, and overjoyed with just exploiting this small loophole and getting some free experience points, Liam was on an entirely different level.

He already had his eye on the motherlode.

"Heh. You guys. We need this. I am not doing this out of boredom." Liam chuckled faintly.

It was not that he was fond of looting other people's stock supplies, it was just that it was the fastest way to get his hands on a diverse supply of herbs.

So when the shortcut was right in front of his eyes, how could he let it go?

Chapter 437 - Wanted

Once the group was in the clear, Liam first sorted out all the herbs from the giant sacks. He wanted to see if he got any new varieties of herbs from their little excursion.

But unfortunately, even though there were a few new herbs, they were still not the ones he needed for the elixir recipe. He also did not know what they could be used for or their names.

Nevertheless, he organized all the herbs that he knew and as well as those he did not know and placed everything in his inventory slots.

"Tsk. Tsk. I am already full." Liam clicked his tongue. He then hopped onto Luna's back and the duo lifted up heading straight to the city ahead of them.

"Here we are." The two of them reached the place in a few minutes and once again, Liam changed into the black robe that covered his body and his face.

Normally, a hooded figure like this would stand out but in the busy city, he was just one among the many.

Just like Itaka city this Karakus city was also a considerably big city.

Liam easily blended into the crowd of demons and walked over to the big brick building where the carriage had stopped the previous day.

"What is this place? Some sort of a storage bank?"

He walked closer but before he could enter the place, he was abruptly stopped at the gate. "Halt, do you have an appointment to meet with the Lord?"

"Hmmm?" Liam was confused. The demons only addressed their garrison leader as Lord within the city so this was the garrison building of the city?

"No, I don't have an appointment. I will come back later." Liam smiled and silently withdrew.

It seems this place wasn't an ordinary one. He had to first gather some information about the city and come back to pay a visit again.

Liam took a walk and settled in one of the eateries. He paid the guy a few copper coins and ordered a lot of food items.

And a couple of minutes later, he slowly started.

"So many carriages coming into the city lately, I wonder what is happening?" Liam casually stretched his hands with a yawn as if he was merely thinking out aloud.

"Ha? What are you talking about? Don't we always have a lot of carriages bringing us herbs?" The demon who was frying the meat laughed loudly.

"What are they doing with all the herbs?" Another demon asked.

Liam did not have to make the conversation anymore as the bunch of demons sitting in the small eatery started chatting amongst themselves.

"Ya, lately there have been a lot more carriages? Is our Lord trying something new?"

"No, it's because some other city Lord's daughter is sick. Our Lord is the only alchemist in the vicinity. Of course, everyone would come to our Lord for help. Ha Ha Ha."

"Yes, Yes, our Lord's talent in alchemy is the best." Liam added to their gossip, thinking he was mingling in with them.

However, unexpectedly, his words elicited a bout of loud laughter from the other demons.

"Who is this greenhorn trying to brown nose? The Lord is not here to reward you, chap. Ba ha ha ha ha! Save all the flowery words for later.

Our Lord is the worst at alchemy. Why do you think we get so many carriages and we are always procuring herbs? Ha Ha Ha"

"No demon is good at alchemy. Ha Ha Ha."

"Why are you idiots laughing? It's our tax money that is being burned as herbs." Another burly demon sighed. The mood immediately turned sour and the demons changed the subject.

Liam as well paid up and left the eatery. He now had a good idea about what was going on here.

The Karakus city Lord was an alchemy enthusiast though not a very successful one. What was it about demons that made them bad at this? Liam pondered.

This was also probably why the herbs were never guarded. All the pieces of the puzzles were coming together.

The only negative point was that Liam had hoped to loot a bunch of herbs from this place. However, after hearing about everything he doubted if any of them remained.

The demon probably already went through them by practicing with them? Or maybe not. Either ways, he needed to do a bit more investigation.

And he couldn't do it by keeping a low profile like this.

Liam once again walked over to the same big building. "Is this maybe the guy's training spot?"

"Halt." The demon guarding the place once again blocked him. However, this time Liam did not simply leave.

He removed the black hoodie from his head. "I am the garrison leader of Thol city and I want to meet with your Lord to discuss an important matter."

"Ahh! Please forgive me, my Lord. I did not recognize you." The demon standing guard immediately became nervous and quickly ran over inside to convey the information.

Meanwhile, Liam casually waltzed in and the other demon standing guard did not dare to stop him.

"Not bad." Liam looked around. The building itself was very simple and spacious. There were a lot of demons rushing here and there, looking very busy.

"The guy must be training hard."

BOOM! Before he could even finish his thoughts, a loud explosion resounded. After that, Liam heard a loud disgruntled noise and followed by heavy thudding footsteps.

Jumping down the winding staircase at the corner of the hall, a huge ogre appeared in front of Liam.

"Hello there, famous garrison leader of the Thol city." The ogre snorted in disdain.

Liam's brain instantly spun as this wasn't a situation that he had foreseen. This demon already knew about him? That changed everything.

He looked at the big ogre who was probably a hybrid of something species as he had some uncharacteristic leaves growing out of his horns.

This demon was definitely not planning on making friends with him. Did he just get himself caught in an enemy's territory?

He did not expect the news to be spread this far.

Did every single city in the Kingdom or perhaps the Empire already know about him? Was he a wanted person?

Sighing softly, Liam lifted his hand. "I come in peace." He already had a plan.

He did not even have to think so much about it. The way the ogre looked at him, it was plain obvious and a plan automatically took shape.

"Karakus city garrison leader, please hear me out. I need your help." Liam smiled politely as if he was in desperate need of the demon's help.

Chapter 438 - The genius alchemist

"Let me guess. You heard that I am the King's favored Lord and you want me to put in a good word with his highness?" The ogre stared down at Liam and spoke in a mocking him.

Hmmm? There was something like this? Liam chuckled inwardly and nodded with a grave expression. "Please, you know I did not do anything to deserve this. I am innocent."

"Thol city leader, you should have really thought about this before making an enemy out of my good friend." The ogre laughed.

I knew it. His being labeled as a traitor, summoned by the King, all the trouble he was in, everything was because of the damned mother and daughter pair.

I need to work those two harder. A lot harder and make them payback for all of this trouble. Liam shook his head helplessly.

"Lord, there is an explanation for everything that happened. However, I am not here to justify myself. I came here to make a deal with you." Liam said.

"I am listening?"

"I came across a mysterious scroll in a ruin not that far from here and I obtained some insight into alchemy from that discovery."

"The scroll was destroyed as soon as I touched it but I think I can help you make progress in your alchemy from the knowledge I obtained."

"Eh? You think that YOU can help me? HA HA HA HA!"

The ogre started clutching his stomach and laughing. He was now more than sure that this demon had come here just to try and trick him.

"Don't mistake me, my Lord. I don't think I will be of much help. After all, you are the alchemy genius in this area. I think maybe I can help you a little with the easiest recipe."

"That too there is just a possibility. But in the off chance that I am really able to help you, could I request my Lord to put in a good word for me?" Liam kept calm.

He was already here so he decided to just try and take a better look at things before leaving. And for that, this seemed to be a good enough reason.

"Just give me a chance, Lord." Liam tried to sound convincing. Maybe if he helped this ogre without bruising his ego, he could really put in a good word?

And as for the herbs, he did not have much hope now. Since the garrison leader himself was involved in this, there was no way he would be able to steal herbs from the main storehouse.

At most, they could camp in this place and rob the carriages coming to and fro from this place, but for that, they would be better off searching for herbs in other spots.

Either way, this trip wasn't too fruitful and Liam was almost ready to leave but surprisingly the ogre suddenly stopped laughing.

"Alright, let's see just much you can help me. Follow me, Thol city garrison leader."

Liam sighed and followed the ogre. Though he already knew this wasn't going to amount to anything, he was still curious to see just what equipment this ogre was using.

For not even being able to make the basic potions… that required a special type of talent.

Or maybe his items were bad? Was this guy using a cracked cauldron or something? He needed to give the ogre some credit. Maybe he was really not stupid?

Just as Liam was mulling over these possibilities, suddenly the ogre arrived at a room and opened the door.

Almost instantly, Liam stopped in his tracks and swallowed all of his previous thoughts. What the hell?

"What? Thol city leader, you look a bit shocked? Come in. Come in. You have some incredible luck to enter my alchemy chambers. KE KE."

The ogre looked quite pleased as he lead Liam inside the gigantic room if it could even be called a room.

The brick building was no longer to be seen. Instead, the inside of the room was like a giant garden. There were trees, plants, small birds chirping, and there was even a lake.

The entire place looked like a utopia. It was serene, calm, peaceful and from the looks of it, the best place for an alchemist to be attuned with the world and do his best work.

The moment Liam stepped in, he could feel the familiar presence of mana. There was also nether. The entire air was filled to the brim with energy.

It was an environment that stimulated one from top to bottom. How could such a place exist in the nether realm? Even in the Xion realm, something like this…

Liam did not know what to think. He had not remotely heard of or seen anything like this in his two lives combined. Just what the hell was this place? Some sort of inscription or illusion?

He silently took in everything around him as he followed the ogre into the huge garden.

The ogre hummed and walked a few miles coming to stop in front of a huge tree. It was a banyan tree, that had several branches, spread far and wide.

But the tree was not the most impressive thing about the garden. Under the huge tree, there was a small rectangular tablet.

It was a stone tablet with some archaic symbols etched on it and there was a faint glow surrounding it.

The moment Liam laid his eyes on it, he felt a mysterious aura seeping from the tablet. He could feel that the tablet was not something ordinary.

He also could not inspect it or see any details. There were only question marks on the thing.

"Ke Ke. Now, do you see my awesomeness Thol city garrison leader? How are you going to teach me anything about alchemy? Ba Ha Ha Ha!"

The ogre demon's words snapped Liam out of his trance.

"I don't know my Lord. I will just try." He replied absentmindedly. His gaze was still fixated on the stone tablet. He couldn't make out the words written on it.

However, the glow surrounding the tablet was definitely unmistakable. That thing was definitely a treasure.

Just how did it fall into the hands of this ogre guy? Was it because of this that he was not willing to give up on alchemy? No, that was not important. The more pressing issue was…

How was he going to take it out of the ogre's hands?

Liam did not want to risk anything for a few herbs but this tablet was definitely worth taking a risk. He had already pissed off one city's garrison leader, what was one more?

Chapter 439 - Watch the fools running away

"Lord Ghet, could you tell me which alchemy recipe you are most comfortable with? We can start from that one." Liam suggested, while he simultaneously cased the joint.

This place was not going to be that easy to steal from.

First and foremost, the garrison leader's level was far too high. Liam could not even see his level. All he could see were the question marks.

Secondly, the place was also located smack dab in the middle of the city. So it was heavily guarded and not to mention, this room, in particular, was very tightly monitored.

This was definitely going to be a headache. Liam sighed and continued paying attention to the ogre who was still explaining to him the basic health potion recipe.

Someone who cannot even manage to make the basic health potion recipe? Why even bother breaking your head over this?

But Liam also appreciated the demon's stubbornness, determination, and his refusal to give up. The thing was… these qualities were not always rewarded.

Sometimes it is just better to give up and move on!

Because he was refusing to let go, the poor demon was suffering so much. "Alright, I will definitely try to help you, Lord Ghet." Liam nodded and he meant every word.

The poor demon was working so hard only because he had the invaluable treasure in his hands. If he no longer had that treasure, wouldn't that make him give up and attain some peace?

Liam smiled warmly as a plan started forming in his mind. "Lord Ghet, I am currently a little tired from the travel. Can we meet here in a couple of hours?"

Grunt. The ogre snorted and clapped his hands. "You two, take the Thol city garrison leader with you and attend to him."

He then silently went back to practicing something in a flashy cauldron that looked very exquisite.

Though his words indicated that he was showing respect to another garrison leader, his actions were very clearly rude.

However, Liam couldn't care less. He hurried along with the two demons who led him to one of the chambers in the same building.

He was not even taken to the main garrison tower, another sign of disrespect. But Liam, still smiling, entered the room and asked the others to leave.

He then locked the door and started his work immediately. Ransacking his inventory slots, he fished out a big black stone similar in color and texture to the tablet he had just seen.

"Yup. This should do it." He grinned.

A few minutes later…

Resting on the ground in front of Liam was Luna and near her, there was a stone tablet almost identical to the one that was in the garden above.

"What do you think, Luna? Does it look the same?"

Kyuuu

The fox bobbed her head in agreement.

"Well, it doesn't matter. To that guy, it probably looks the same." Liam carefully placed the stone tablet back into his inventory and then stood up from the ground.

It was time for the show!

He walked out of the room and first went to another eatery to eat his fill. Only then did he return back to the special alchemy room where the Karakus city Lord was already busily working hard.

"Oh, there you are!" The ogre snorted seeing Liam at the entrance. "Come. I have waited long enough. Let me see what pointers YOU can give me."

"Ok, Lord Ghet. As you wish." Liam cleared his throat and continued, as he circled the ogre.

"Lord, if I may point it out, it is best to close your eyes and meditate for a while before starting alchemy practice."

"And also… it is best to keep the surroundings free of disturbance."

The ogre demon rolled his eyes at Liam as he was pretty sure that the guy was simply showing off. Nevertheless, he waved his hands and sent the few guards out of the room.

Liam's strength was too low to consider him a threat so the ogre did not think much. He closed his eyes and mockingly added, "Should I start throwing in the herbs also with my eyes closed?"

"No, my Lord. You can open your eyes now." Liam smiled.

"Now what?"

"Add some water and then add the herbs."

The ogre rolled his eyes again and then gave Liam a death stare before doing all the steps.

But just as he placed his hands on the cauldron and used nether to fire up the cauldron, the next instant, everything blew up! BOOM!

The ogre looked aggrieved seeing that once again his efforts had been in vain. Coincidentally, Liam also looked very shocked.

He had not expected this. The ogre had done everything perfectly and yet failed to make something as simple as the basic potion?

How could this even be possible?

The only thing that Liam could think of was the nether. Was nether really this turbulent?

He himself had never tried using to date to create potions or pills. Maybe he would also have the same problem?

Liam snapped out of his thoughts and quickly dodged as something came flying at him. The big ogre had actually picked up one of the debris and tossed it at him in anger!

"Why are you still standing here? You told me that you will help me achieve success! Where is it?! Thol city garrison leader, is this enough, or are you going to continue this charade?"

"Do you take me for a fool? I have been practicing for so long and a greenhorn like you wants to give me pointers? HMPH!"

"Did you think that you cheat me? Did you think I am so easy to fool? You want me to put in a good word with his highness? DREAM ON!"

The ogre grunted furiously. Perhaps the demon was so embarrassed to fail in front of somebody else and became really agitated.

He grabbed whatever he could get his hands on and started throwing things at Liam.

On the other side, Liam was absolutely stunned. He had never expected the ogre to behave like this. However, this was also a chance for him.

His job here was completed a while ago when the ogre had closed his eyes for a couple of minutes. So this was as good a chance as any to make his exit.

In fact, the sooner he left the better because he did not know how long his creation would hold up. Perhaps after the ogre calmed down a bit, his work would be exposed.

He needed to leave before that.

And since the demon was personally chasing him out, a better outcome couldn't have happened.

"Sorry, Lord Ghet. I will take my leave now." Without turning back, Liam hurriedly dashed out. The moment he was out of the building, he already summoned Luna and jumped on her back.

He did not even bother running all the way until the city gates and the duo instantly lifted up in the air to fly away right in the middle of the city.

All the demons standing were extremely shocked. Was something huge going down in their city?

By now news had spread that the Thol city garrison leader was visiting, so everyone looked towards their own leader for some explanation?

The huge ogre had by now walked out of the building as well. He stood calmly and leisurely, not bothering to chase after Liam or anything.

He simply looked up at the fleeing person and sneered in contempt. "KE KE KE! Look at how he is running with his tail in between his leg!"

"KE KE KE! Trying to swindle me? You are 10 years too early!"

The other demons standing around also joined in and everyone started laughing at the figures in the sky who had become small dots by now.

"The Thol city garrison is a joke!"

"Trash city! Trash leader! Our city is the best!"

"The demons there are also stupid! And the city is the absolute worst! I heard everyone is extremely poor there!"

The horde of demons gathered in the square, crowding around their leader to boisterously chat and laugh about the Thol city and the cowardly garrison leader who was running away from them.

The ogre as well was haughtily enjoying the show while laughing alongside everyone else.

After all, it was not an everyday occurrence to see another garrison leader run away like this! So pathetic and shameful!

This further fueled the crowd and to earn more brownie points, the demons started cursing the weak Thol city garrison leader furthermore.

The crowd became completely rowdy and their laughter rang out for several miles.

And in the midst of this commotion and hubbub, suddenly a thin and short demon hastily ran over.

He squeezed into the crowd and desperately tried to reach the ogre who was standing at the center of all of this ruckus.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his body was trembling but he was determined to make his way through as if his life depended on it.

"LEADER! LEADER!" The demon shouted at the top of his lungs, finally reaching near the ogre. "Leader! Something terrible has happened! The alchemy garden disappeared!"